144. Pedro de Alvarado, called the _Adelantado_, a Spanish t.i.tle formerly given to a governor of a province, and by his Mexican allies, _Tonatiuh_, the Sun or Sun-G.o.d, reached the city of Gumarcaah, or Utlatlan in the early spring of 1524.

147. _Were burned alive._ "As I knew their evil intentions, and to keep the people quiet, I burned them, and ordered their city razed to its foundation," writes Alvarado to Cortes. _Relacion, etc._

_400 men._ Alvarado writes _cuatro mil hombres_, "four thousand men."

148. _The palace of Tzupam._ Perhaps the palace described by Fuentes.

See Introduction, p. 24. Alvarado speaks of the friendly reception he met with: "I could not have been more warmly welcomed to the house of my father." _Otra Relacion_, etc. His first visit was for eight days, April 11-19, 1524.

_Pa hul_, etc. This obscure pa.s.sage is translated by Bra.s.seur in his MS.

as follows: "Vous avez vu la-bas leur tombeau qui est au milieu des autres;" whereas, in his _Hist. du Mexique_, Tom. IV, p. 651, he translates the whole of this reply of the Cakchiquel king by these words: "Eh quoi! aurais-je envoye mes guerriers et mes braves mourir pour vous et chercher un tombeau a Gumarcaah, si j'avais eu des intentions si perfides!"

This comparison will ill.u.s.trate how differently he construed the pa.s.sage, and also what excessive license he took with his authorities.

171. The order a.s.signing the Oidor Alonso de Maldonado to take charge of Guatemala, is dated Oct. 27, 1535, and he arrived there in the following May.

On his return from Spain, Alvarado landed at Puerto de Caballos, April 4, 1539, and reached the city of Guatemala Sept. 16th of the same year.

"On account of his lineage," _Ruma ru chinamital_; the expression is not clear.

173.[TN-31] "Prince of the city," _Ahauh pa tinamit_; see Sec. 168. Cahi Imox and others had returned to settle in Iximche, and their actions had become suspicious.

173. Francisco de Alvarado was either the uncle or cousin of Don Pedro.

The Adelantado died July 5, 1541, from an injury received while attacking the stronghold of Nochistlan.

174. This disaster occurred on the night of Sept. 10-11th, 1541.

The mission referred to is mentioned by Torquemada, _Monarquia Indiana_, Lib. XIX, Cap. XIV. Pedro de Angulo and his companion reached Guatemala in 1539.

175. "On account of ashes," _Ruma chah_; Bra.s.seur translates this expression, "a cause de billevesees."

176. Juan Rogel was one of the "oidores."

177. Alonso Lopez Cerrato entered upon his duties in Guatemala May 26, 1548.

179. Pedro Ramirez de Quinones. The actor in this attempt was one of the oidores. Bancroft, who refers to the quarrel between the Governor and Bishop Marroquin, does not satisfactorily explain it. See his _Hist. of Central America_, Vol. II, pp. 326-7. On Ramirez, see Juarros, _Hist.

Guatemala_, Tom. I, pp. 235-6.

181. Antonio Rodriguez de Quezada took possession of the Presidency of Guatemala Jan. 14, 1554, and retained it till his death in November, 1558; he was succeeded by Pedro Ramirez. (Comp. Juarros, I, p. 255, with Bancroft, _Hist. Cent. Am._, II, p. 358, who says 1555.)

181.[TN-32] "There was but little between them," _Xa [c]a halal qui cohol ahauh_; this expression is not clear. There appears to be considerable vagueness in the writer's chronology in this pa.s.sage.

"He did not condemn any one, because he had no time," _Mani xuban ru [t]atbaltzih, mani xyaloh_; an ignorant statement, since he held the Presidency about four years.

The reading of the last sentence is doubtful.

182. Vico was killed in the summer of 1555.

184. The expedition against the Lacandons took place early in 1559.